Almaty, Saratov, Kazan and Moscow will host 4 regular season games on Thursday.
Astana (Astana) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 20:00 (18:00 Moscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Almaty, DS im. Baluana Sholaka
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
Astana: After the road winover Runa, the Kazakh team is actively engaged in the battle for the play-in – every next win can take Fotis Tokianos team to the 4th place of Group B. It won’t be easy to beat Uralmash, which has gained momentum. The team failed to do so in the last game, but Jordan Skipper-Brown is capable of making a difference in the upcoming game. The bigman surpasses Royce Hamm in size and athleticism, making him an extremely uncomfortable opponent for Octavius Ellis. Astana will play its next 2 games in Almaty, where it last played in the spring 2022. That season, the Kazakh team was at the bottom of the standings and lost the Playoffs chances early. But this year, Almaty fans have every chance to see competitive basketball and the first win in the DS im. Baluana Sholaka.
Uralmash: Uralmash go in high spirits in Almaty after the Russian Cup bronze. Now the team will have to continue the fight for the lead in Group B – the loss to MBA allowed Samara to catch up with the Yekaterinburg team in the standings. Uralmash surpasses its future opponent in most stats, and is also the highest scoring team in Group B (81.3 points per game). But Astana has proven to be an extremely difficult opponent for Uralmash this season – in the first stage both games were tense and the team has only 1 win. But the distribution of roles in Rostislav Vergun team has changed since that moment. That’s why Stanley Whittaker, who has transformed from a role player into an offensive leader with an average of 14.5 points in a month, will be an X-factor in the upcoming game.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs Samara (Samara)
Time: 19:00 (18:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Saratov, DS Kristall
Broadcast: League website
Avtodor: The Saratov team hasn’t lost since January and continues to chase the Group B leaders. A win in the Volga derby would reduce the distance between Samara and Avtodor to 1 win. Milenko Bogicevic team has outperformed the opponent in shoting percentage throughout the winning streak. In the upcoming game, the Saratov team will face a team that also has a high three-point percentage for the first time in the second stage – Samara is in the Top 3 in long-range shots made, and Avtodor is third in the league in shooting efficiency. Still, fans have reason to expect the winning streak to continue. The leaders are in good shape – Hammonds is dominating in rebounds and consistently scoring 15 points on average, and Malik Newman has been the hero of the last 2 endings.
Samara: The upcoming game has more significance for the Samara – a win will allow to continue chasing Uralmash and will solidify the gap from Avtodor. Drazen Anzulovic team is also on a roll – 3 wins in the last 4 games and 41 points in the final quarter against MINSK. Samara continues to emphasize combinations and ball movement in offense. So in January, Samara managed to limit Malik Newman and Rayshawn Hammonds to 27 points combined and win. Now Avtodor looks much more stable, but Samara will definitely have a chance to win.
UNICS (Kazan) vs Zenit (St. Petersburg)
Time: 19:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match! Igra, TV Start, League website.
UNICS: In the game with Enisey, the Kazan team rehabilitated for the loss to PARMA and made 60% of two-pointers. Nenad Dimitrijevic has turned on the Playoffs mode and has scored 20+ points 3 times in the last 4 games. That’s why the reigning champion is in optimal condition for the game with his principal opponent. The Kazan team won the previous 4 games, while Zenit managed to score only 61 points in the January. In addition, Velimir Perasovic team is 1 of only 4 teams that have managed to score 90+ against the St. Petersburg team defense this season. UNICS will also have the home court advantage, where the Kazan team has not lose in the second round yet.
Zenit: Zenit won the Russian Cup and remain undefeated in the VTB United League in the second round. Xavier Pascual team has already got revenge on CSKA and Loko for their first-round losses, so UNICS remains the only team that Zenit has yet to beat this season. But the St. Petersburg team will have a chance to take a win away from Kazan. The team had offensive problems at the first stage, but managed to solve them in the last month. In the second stage, the scoring average become 92 points, and the defense is still the best in the League. On the other hand, Zenit may be hampered by fatigue after the intense schedule of the Russian Cup Final Four.
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
MBA: Vasily Karasev team ended the losing streak and snatched the win against Uralmash. This game helped the team get back into the play-in race: a win over Runa with a 20 or better difference will put MBA in 4th place in Group B. The fate of both first stage games was decided in the final minutes, so it won’t be easy to win big. But MBA coaching staff still has the means to do so. The Moscow team offense is one of the fastest in the League. In addition, the team finally has an offensive leader – Daniil Kasatkin has returned to his level after injury and has scored more than 15 points in the last 5 games. Also, the upcoming game will be played in Basket Hall Moscow, where the hosts have already beaten the newcomer in the fall.
Runa: Erturul Erdogan team still could not overcome the crisis period and lost already 4 games in a row. The result does not reflect the real level of the team’s game – the Vikings offense effective from the paint (Top 3 in the League), move the ball a lot. The only problem is the loss of concentration in the endings – the last 3 games ended with an average 3-point difference. In the duel with MBA, Runa will have a chance to feel confident – the Vikings’ future opponent has been extremely unstable this season, especially in the third and fourth quarters.
